


just hope that you are on my side my dear

by cchascona



Category: Eu não quero voltar sozinho | I Don't Want to Go Back Alone (2010), Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho | The Way He Looks (2014)
Genre: Dancing, Do not repost to other websites, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Multi, Wedding Fluff, Weddings, shameless references to belle and sebastian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:54:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24296179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cchascona/pseuds/cchascona
Summary: Leo is invited to Gabriel's brother's wedding.
Relationships: Gabriel/Leonardo (Eu não quero voltar sozinho), Giovana/William (Eu não quero voltar sozinho), Karina/OMC
Comments: 10
Kudos: 35





	just hope that you are on my side my dear

Both his mother and Giovana reassure him several times that he looks very handsome in a suit, and Leo hopes it’s true, because wearing a tie is the most uncomfortable thing he’s ever done, so he better at least look good while doing it. And well. Today is Gabriel’s brother’s wedding. He wants to make a good impression. 

He’s met Gabriel’s family by now, of course. His father, Daniel as soon as they started dating, his brother Carlos a few months later, and Carlos girlfriend (now fiancee, soon to be wife) Isabela a little after that. He adores all of them, Carlos has always been more than happy to share embarrassing stories from Gabriel’s childhood and Isabela shares his love for classical music, and Daniel always insists that Leo has at least three servings whenever he comes over for dinner. 

But Gabriel’s family goes way beyond that. He has dozens of cousins and uncles and aunts, and all of them seem eager to finally meet him. Gabriel tries to introduce him, his parents, Giovana, William and Karina to as many relatives as possible, but then one of his cousins informs him that “the groom is having a mild breakdown”, and as one of his brother’s groom’s men, he’s called to help the crisis, so Leo just stays close to Giovana and Willian until it’s time for the ceremony. 

“Where is Karina?” he remembers to ask when he hasn’t heard her giggle in at least fifteen minutes. 

“Flirting with one of Gabriel’s cousins” he can hear Giovana rolling her eyes, but he knows it is with fondness now, even if she will never admit it. 

When it’s time for them to take their seats, he sits between his mother and Giovana, in the second row, among Gabriel’s family, and as much as it brings warmth to his chest, it’s not enough to quell the uneasiness he feels. 

He’s never been to a wedding before. Both his parents are only children, and until very recently his social cycle was limited to a few schoolmates and Giovana, none of them old enough to get married, so he has no idea of what to expect or how to act. 

His father tells him to stop fidgeting with tie, his mother tells that the venue looks very elegant, and Giovana sighs dreamily and says the whole thing is very romantic. William just says “I don’t know man, there are flowers everywhere. Roses, I think”.

It might be the most helpful of all the things he’s heard all day.

And then the actual wedding starts, and even he knows he’s supposed to be quiet now, but Giovana still whispers “Gabriel just walked down the aisle and he smiled at you” a few minutes in and he grins like a idiot for the rest of the ceremony.

He doesn’t know anything about weddings, but he thinks this is a good one. The whole thing does sound romantic, and judging by the sniffling sounds his mom and Karina are making, he’s not the only one who thinks so. At some point, he feels something bumping into his shoulder, which tells him William has his arm wrapped around Giovana. Both bride and groom choke back tears during their vows, and Leo knows how much they love each other, and he is indescribably happy for them. When they kiss, someone starts a round of applause (he bets it was Gabriel) and he doesn’t even need the nudge from his father to join in. 

They later get in line to pay their respects to bride and groom, and both Isabela and Carlos pull him into bone crushing hugs, and he knows it’s their day, but he can’t help but feel welcomed to the whole thing. 

He also sneaks a hug (and a quick kiss) to Gabriel, before his mother rushes him to move along, because the other guests want to talk to them too. 

At the reception, Leo sits at a table with his parents, Giovana, William, Karina and surprisingly, Gabriel’s cousin. He doesn’t even introduce himself, just listens to Karina talk the whole time, and Leo even hears him mumble something in response every now and then.

“How do you even know he’s Gabriel’s cousin?” Leo whispers after a while

“He has curly hair. Gabriel’s whole family has curly hair” It’s not really a good answer, but Giovana doesn’t sound very willing to investigate any further, and the guy in question doesn’t sound willing to offer an explanation either. 

The food is excellent, and they chat animatedly through dinner, and Giovana sometimes offers some commentary on what is going around them. 

“Some kids are running around the tables, their dad is chasing after them”.

“One of the uncles tripped over a flower vase, I think he’s drunk”.

“Some old lady just fell asleep and I think her dentures fell on her risoto and I now have officially lost my appetite”.

Of course, her being Giovana, this lasts only until desert time. She helps herself to several of the sweets and pastries the waiters bring them, and when the cake is served she eats half of William’s slice.

When Leo is halfway done with his own piece, he hears the chair next to him being pulled, and then a soft “hey”, and then the night just gets a hundred times better.

“Sorry I haven’t given you any attention tonight” he says, and it sounds like he means it “it’s just that my brother needed me and then there was dinner and everything...”

“Hey. Don’t apologize, I understand” he reaches instinctively for Gabriel’s hand and squeezes it lightly, a comforting gesture “how’s Carlos?”

“I think he’s gonna explode from happiness, actually. Isabela bets he’s going to cry before she throws the bouquet. I’m trying to show a little bit more of faith in him”

Gabriel and Leo laugh together, and Gabriel even shares some of the “Main Table Gossip” with them, and Leo could seriously get lost in his voice. He’s sure Giovana steals a little bit of the frosting from his plate, but he doesn’t care one bit. It’s worth it.

The night goes on, and much better in Leo’s opinion since Gabriel joined them. His parents comment on the beautiful ceremony and Leo can hear the happiness he feels for his brother in Gabriel’s voice. He talks to William and Giovana, promising to get her special access to the kitchen, as member of the groom’s party privilege and he didn’t seem the last bit surprised to see his cousin (Marcos, they finally learn his name, a second cousin actually) and Karina together. 

A waiter brings them champagne and they all toast the newlyweds, and Leo tells himself that the bubbly feeling in the bottom of his stomach has everything to do with the alcohol and nothing to with the fact that Gabriel is still holding his hand. 

Time passes, and the music turns progressively more upbeat, and many people join in on the dance floor, Karina and Marcos being one of the firsts there. Even his parents can’t resist a round on the dance floor when the DJ plays some 80’s song, much to his amusement and chagrin, leaving only him, Gabriel, Giovana and William at the table. 

When it’s just the four of them, it’s the most relaxed he’s felt all night. It feels like one of their “double dates”, as Giovana likes to call them. Leo feels emboldened by his parent’s absence and takes another glass of champagne, and then another one, and the other three are more than happy to join him. They make their own little bubble in the middle of the reception, busted only when some relative of Gabriel stops by to comment on how much Gabriel has grown, and does he remember they used to babysit him all the time?

Leo tries his best to be nice about it, but he can’t help but snickering at some of the great aunt’s stories. At least he, Giovana and William wait until she is away to burst out laughing, feeling Gabriel heating up next to him. 

“You guys are the worst” Gabriel’s voice is mix of mortification and fondness, so Leo is not to worried.

“Yeah, but you knew that already” he says, untying his tie, taking advantage of the fact that his parents are still dancing. 

“You knew the risk when you invited us” Gi agrees. To her left, Leo hears William chuckling in sympathy to Gabriel. Leo and Giovana are a fearsome team, and William was the only one who also understood what it meant to date one of them.

The DJ then starts playing a very upbeat, girly pop song, that he knows for a fact is one of Gi’s favorites. William asks her to dance, and he knows she wants to go, but…

“Will you be okay if I go?” she asks seriously, squeezing his hand. It’s funny, they’ve known each other for years, have gone through so much together, have _grown up_ together, but Giovana still sees herself as Leo’s protector. A few years ago it would have annoyed him, but right now all he feels is gratitude.

“You’re joking, right? I know you already have all the dance steps of this song memorized, it would be a shame to not share it with the world”

She gives him a quick kiss on the cheek before dragging William into the dance floor. 

“You weren’t kidding” Gabriel says after a while “She did memorize all the moves”

Leo chuckles, and then a thought crosses his mind and he turns in Gabriel’s direction.

“You don’t have to stay here with me, you know. If you want to dance with your family and friend’s, I’d get it” he says seriously. As much as he loves Gabriel’s company, this is his brother’s wedding. He should celebrate with his family, and Leo wouldn’t want to stay in the way of that. 

“Are you kidding me? Gi’s killing it on the dance floor, I’d just embarrass myself!” he says lightly, and then, more softly, more earnestly “Besides, there’s nowhere I’d rather be right now”.

Leo feels his face heating up, and incapable of saying something, he scooches his chair closer to Gabriel, throwing an arm around the back of his chair.

When it’s just the two of them, they don’t feel the need to talk. They just stay like this, arms around each other, their heads close together and holding hands, with Gabriel gently running his thumb against Leo’s knuckles. 

The others come back to the table to catch their breaths before going back to the dance floor, but Leo and Gabriel stay right where they are. There really isn’t anywhere else he’d rather be. 

Eventually the music slows down again and all the other three couples have enough and sit back down, and while the intimacy of the moment is gone, Leo still beams at the fact that Gabriel doesn’t feel the need to completely pull away from him. 

They all go back to their easy chatter, until suddenly Gabriel stands up, and says awkwardly:

“I need to go, my uh...my brother is calling me” and just like that he’s gone, leaving Leo more than a little confused. Something about Gabriel’s voice sounded… off, like he was hiding something. 

Leo tells himself he’s being silly. There’s nothing suspicious about Carlos wanting his brother around during his wedding reception, after all, and Gabriel shouldn’t have to give him an explanation anyway. He goes back to talking with his parents and his friends, when suddenly the music stops.

“The next song was a special request from the groom’s brother” the DJ announces.

Leo feels frozen on his seat, at the same time his heart starts beating so fast he feels it will punch a hole in his chest, and then he hears: 

_I could hang about and burn my fingers_

_I've been hanging out here waiting for something to start_

_You think I'm faultless to a 't'_

_My manner set impeccably_

_But underneath I am the same as you_

The familiar melody hits him, and he feels a sense of calm and happiness wash over him at the same time he feels hand delicately coming to his shoulder.

“Come on and dance with me, Leo” it’s the exact same thing he’d said that afternoon, years ago now, when they had done pretty much anything but start their assignment. In the first weeks of their relationship, Gabriel had confessed his crush on Leo had started that day.

“Dummy” Leo laughs, but he takes Gabriel’s hand anyway, and lets him guide him to the dance floor. 

He doesn’t have the time to feel embarrassed when Carlos shouts “I bet you’re happy I made you listen to this music now!” because Gabriel is putting his hands on his shoulders, and Leo does the same, and they start to lightly sway together, not even close to the song’s rhythm.

“I bet we look ridiculous right now” Leo says, feeling his cheeks hurt from how wide he’s smiling. He feels impossibly light and happy right now, and he knows it has nothing to do with the champagne he just had.

“Nah, you could never be ridiculous” Gabriel replies with a laugh, and the sound spreads warmth through his chest.

_But it's best to finish as it started_

_With my face head down just staring at the brown formica_

_It's safer not to look around_

_I can't hide my feelings from you now_

_There's too much love to go around these days_

He doesn’t know who pulls who closer, all he knows is that now they are kissing on the dance floor, in front of their family and their friends, and it might be the most perfect moment of Leo’s life. When they pull apart, Leo leans forward so they foreheads are touching, and he can feel Gabriel’s smile, even if he can’t see it. He is smiling too, softer than before, feeling happy and relaxed. Feeling at peace.

They keep on dancing to their own beat, and Gabriel tells him some other couples have joined them on the floor, including Gi and William and Carlos and Isabela. Leo dances with Gabriel till the end of the song, and the next one, and the one after that, and they keep dancing together until the party is over, Leo feeling all the time like a very uncoordinated but very happy penguin. 

He doesn’t know a thing about weddings, this is the only one he’s ever been to, but right now, he decides this is a perfect one. He hopes that every wedding that he goes in the future (and right now, while he’s holding Gabriel’s hand, he tries not to think too hard about what _that_ means) is just as good as this one.

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this idea in my head since the moment I came out of the movie theater after seeing this movie in 2014. Quarentine induced stress made me do it.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy it, and please drop a comment telling me what you think!!
> 
> And you can always find me under @eatsleepandsing on tumblr


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